Archives for January 2017

Officially, India has no designated national vegetable. If there would have been any, my vote would go for Potato. Here is a guy, who is loved across the board. He is loved by vegetarians, non-vegetarians, and even those nasty kids who hate the sight of any vegetables in their dinner plates find themselves at peace with this ubiquitous veggie.

It’s Sunday again! The day I allow myself the luxury to be lazy. The day I want to get done with my lunch with not much fanfare. In short, it’s the day I go back to my list of comfort food and lemon rice sits right at top.

Historians are not very sure about the country of origin of Pilaf(Pulao). There are 2 counter theories about where Pilaf was originated, some say it was Persia and some believe it was in India. As per historical evidences, Rice was cultivated in India for thousands of years, but Persia started cultivating rice between 1000-500 BC.

Dear readers, at my place a typical Sunday morning often witnesses me and Pranay getting involved in a rigorous brainstorming session over a cup of coffee. The agenda of our sessions is more often than not what we should be making for our Sunday morning breakfast.

We all have two choices, recall our sad moments and feel sad or recall our happy moments and feel sadder. I prefer the later one. “Chole Masala” makes me nostalgic. It reminds me of the best days of my life. Ironically, we realize the importance of these best moments only when they have passed.

Any discussion about Indian cooking would be incomplete if one fails to make a mention of Rajasthani cuisine. However, as one begins to describe about the cuisine and cooking style of this desert state, the vastness of the topic becomes evident. Rajasthan means “land of kings”. It is the largest state of India by area in which a vast majority of land is the part of Thar Desert. The food that evolved in this state over the period of centuries was deeply influenced by geographical conditions.

Growing up in my childhood, I remember anxiously waiting for winter to set in . “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire; it is the time for home!”

Mumbai, a city of dreams, a city that never sleeps, a city always on a move. For over two decades before I moved to its sister city Pune I grew up in Mumbai. I was a part of the crowd that moves through the city in pursuit of their goals, day in and day out through the local trains.

This recipe also comes from my Sasural’s Khana Khazana!! In Uttar Pradesh, it’s a winter delicacy and specially prepared on the auspicious occassion of “Makar Sankranthi”.It’s a Harvest Festival! People consider Urad dal is “Shubh”. On Sankranthi early morning , a vessel containing mixture of Urad dal and rice is kept in Poorab disha( Rising Sun direction )and every family member touches it before starting their day. Hence this Tahari also contains lentils like Urad and Chana dal along with Matar.